Andrew Del Rio (Earth-5875)
Andrew Del Rio (service number 90302-75627-AD) is a senator in the Unified Earth Government Senate and a former member of the UNSC Navy, where he acted as the commanding officer of the [[UNSC Infinity (Eart-5875)|UNSC Infinity]] before his demotion and replacement with Thomas Reyes. Biography Assigned to the UNSC Infinity .]] A member of the UNSC Navy, Andrew Del Rio was responsible for managing and overseeing the construction of the [[UNSC Infinity (Eart-5875)|UNSC Infinity]]. Because of his dedication and "good public face", CINCONI of the Office of Naval Intelligence Margaret Paragonsky believed Del Rio would make a good commanding officer for the Infinity once it was completed. Once he was made captain, Commander Thomas Reyes was assigned as his executive officer. Two years after the end of the First Contact War, Del Rio led the personnel of the ship into maintaining, repairing and protecting the Infinity, being later given to honor to command the largest and most advanced warship of the UNSC. [[Raid on the UNSC Infinity (Earth-5875)|Raid on the UNSC Infinity]] In early 2554, the Insurrectionist group New Colonial Alliance led by traitor Ilsa Zane boarded the Infinity disguised as construction workers and took Del Rio hostage, intending on gaining control of the Infinity. In the confines of the ship, Del Rio and Lieutenant Winslow Ryder attempted to override the lockdown placed on the vessel by the Insurrectionists. Alongside Jun-A266 and a team of four SPARTAN-IVs, Thomas Reyes inputed his half of the override codes, allowing Del Rio and the others to reach the bridge of the Infinity, while Sarah Palmer and Edward Davis cleared the ship, sending the Insurrectionists sucking to space by opening the containment doors. Trial deployment .]]After a routinely inspection taken on the ship by Fleet Admiral Sir Ernst Hood and Margaret Paragonsky in March 12th, 2445, Del Rio brought the work of the huragok on the ship following their transplantation from Trevelyan. Later, Del Rio commanded the ship, jumping to slipspace in order to aid Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and the Swords of Sanghelios against combating the Servants of the Abiding Truth on Sanghelios, where they arrived in March 19th, 2552. Alongside the ''CAS''-assault carrier Shadow of Intent, led by Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum, the UNSC Infinity battled against the Abiding Truth-controlled Defender of Faith and its cruisers during its attack on Vadam Keep, and the two were able to destroy it, beating back the attackers. The Infinity not only served to showcase its power, but also to strengthen the sangheili-human relations in the post-war period. Battle of Requiem of the [[UNSC Infinity (Earth-5875)|UNSC Infinity]].]] After a science team disappeared aboard ''Ivanoff Station'' in 2563, the UNSC Infinity went to investigate, leading them to pick a distress call sent by the [[UNSC Forward Unto Dawn (Earth-5875)|UNSC Forward Unto Dawn]], which had been missing for eleven years, by SPARTAN-II John-117 and the Auton synthetic Cortana. Commanding the Infinity, Del Rio found the signal emanating from the forerunner shield world Requiem, and started to approach it while sending many transmissions in an attempt to contact John and Cortana. Cortana was able to respond to the transmissions after two hours, but they were static and blurred. Because Del Rio did not fully hear Cortana's warning to not approach the planet, the Infinity ''approached the entrance portal, causing it to be pulled inside the planet and crashing into its jungles. Del Rio then sent Reyes, Commander Sarah Palmer and a SPARTAN-IV battalion to locate the coordinates to the gravity well that trapped them within the shield world. While Del Rio believed the ''Infinity could defend itself and provide fire, it failed in both stances, and the Enclave forces led by Jul 'Mdama forced their way into the warship's bridge. Only with the help of John and Cortana were they able to save the ship by using a HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Mantis. to arrest John-117.]] Later meeting with John and Cortana in the Infinity's bridge, Del Rio discussed with them about the hostile Vex on Requiem, sending John and Gypsy Company to disable the gravity well, as he wanted to leave as soon as possible. There, Andrew showed disrespect for John and Cortana, refusing to grand them optimal intelligence on the mission, although he later provided him with a M510 Mammoth. Soon enough, Enclave forces started to attack the Infinity, but John was able to disable the well and defeat the local Enclave forces. Returning to the Infinity, John attempted to persuade Del Rio into not leaving Requiem after recalling his encounter with an hologram of the Librarian. Del Rio did not believe this claim, and stated both the SPARTAN and the synthetic were delusional. He ordered the warship to return to UNSC space, which angered the rampant Cortana. Seeing her deteriorating condition, Del Rio ordered Reyes to deactive Cortana as per UNSC regulations. Before Reyes moved to do it, he was stopped by John, who went in front of him. Furiously, Del Rio berated at John to surrender Cortana, to which the SPARTAN refused. He then claimed John to be a traitor and ordered Commander Sarah Palmer to arrest John, but all personnel in the bridge ignored his claims, leading John to walk away and leave. Del Rio then sent Lasky to stop and arrest John, but instead, he provided him and Cortana with a D77-TC Pelican to escape from the Infinity. Once Del Rio returned to Earth aboard the Infinity, however, he was heavily criticized by FLEETCOM, Fleet Admiral Sir Ernst Hood, and the UNSC Security Council for his actions on Requiem, including the abandonment of John-117 and Cortana. As punishment, he was relieved from the command of the UNSC Infinity and promptly replaced with Thomas Reyes, being sent to a jury investigation for his actions. Though it was later proven that his decision to abandon John-117 was correct duo to the UNSC Home Fleet's failure of stopping the Mantle's Approach from composing New Phoenix, it mattered very little duo to the return of the SPARTAN-II and his victory against the Vex. Career as a senator After losing his position, and with the continous investigation of the New Phoenix Incident, Del Rio decided to settle down and retire. By 2564, he had been able to use his connections to begin a political career on Io, gaining a position within the Unified Earth Government Senate. There, his management skills proved to be popular and remarkably bureaucratic. Following Raid on Biko peace talks, Del Rio called a meeting at the Congressional Plaza, where he praised the SPARTAN-IV Program and called for the decommission of the surviving SPARTAN-IIs, including the arrest on John-117, whom he called a "broken bastardization of a soldier". After additional footage of the attacks were revealed, showcasing John's innocence, Del Rio reenacted his former statements, proclaiming John-117 was a hero. Personality A skilled bureaucrat and administrator, Del Rio was chosen for the commanding of the [[UNSC Infinity (Earth-5875)|UNSC Infinity]] purely out of his management instead of military competence. While he played a pivotal role during the Siege at Koolar, his continuing service proved to be inadequate for a field commander, which were showcased during the Battle of Requiem, where he overestimated the capabilities of the Infinity against the Enclave and Vex forces. During the initial moments of the engagement, he sent a team to perform recon flight, believing there was nothing present that could seriously threaten the Infinity. During the assault on the forerunner artillery pieces, Del Rio refused to send reconnaissance forces to determine the enemy strength and thus allow his forces to be better prepared. Worst of all, Del Rio refused to support John-117 and Cortana's attempt to stop the Mantle's Approach from leaving Requiem, leaving with the Infinity and reporting to FLEETCOM. This choice caused him to be demoted from his position and replaced with Commander Thomas Reyes, but more damningly, it ensured the forerunner warship left Requiem and proceeded to attack New Phoenix, on Earth, leading to seven million deaths at the hands of the Composer. For whatever reason, Del Rio bore an intense hatred over SPARTAN-IIs, believing them to be outdated and "inhuman", with him rejecting the suggestions of the Master Chief multiple times and questioning his mental stability, and later criticizing the SPARTAN-II Program while praising the SPARTAN-IV Program. Category:Earth-5875 Category:Characters of Earth-5875 Category:Males of Earth-5875 Category:Humans of Earth-5875 Category:Politicians of Earth-5875 Category:UEG politicians (Earth-5875) Category:UNSC Infinity crew members (Earth-5875) Category:UNSC personnel (Earth-5875) Category:UNSC Navy officers (Earth-5875)